Clock-controlled electric switch



May 18 1926.

J. DANIAL CLOCK CONTROLLED ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 2 1925 /7 T7 RNE VS Patented May 18, 1926.

:ronn DANIAL, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

CLOCK-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC swrron'.

' Application filed J anuary 20, 1925. Serial No. 3,581.

This invention relates to a clock controlled electric switch for opening and closing a lighting or other electric circuit at regular predetermined intervals.

'5' The main object is to provide a simple,

compact, switch-operating device as an attachment to an ordinary clock whereby the switch controlling may be set'to close and.

to open the circuit at the beginning. and at A the end of different intervals of time and to remain in this set position for recurrent operations during each twenty-four hour period. One of the specific objects is to pro vide a clock with an attachment of this character for closing a lighting circuit at a set time and to break the circuit'atanother set time within the twenty-four'hour period whereby the circuit will be closed during the interveningtime, each twenty-four hours without further attention on the part of the user.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the ollowing description.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a face view of; an ordinary clock equipped with my circuit controlling attachment.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken on line 2 2, Figure 1.

- F igure" 3 is .a fragmentary sectional view taken in. the plane of line 33, Figure 2.

I Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in line 4-4, Figure 2.-

The clock to which the circuit controlling device is attached may be of any standard construction having the minute hand .m

and hour hand h'-- mounted on the cus- -tomary spindle s for rotary movement which is journaled in the case and adaptedto be rotated by any suitable spring motor and gear train;

The circuit controlling attachment .com-

' prises a rotary and axially movable spindle The front end of the spindle extends through and beyond the dial plate d' of g "the spindle 1 and the inner face of the 1' journaled in the upper portion of the the clock and is provided with a pointer t movable around supplemental dial 5 011 the plate (l. A spring 6 is interposed between a shoulder -7 on 00 back plate of the case G- forurging the spindle axially until limited by the engagement 3- with the rear face of the same plate for a purpose presently described. A pair of terminals 8 of an electric lighting circuit '9 are secured to the back plate of the case -C directly above the spindle -1- and in spaced relation to each other and also insulated from the case by any suitable insulating means, said terminals having contact members 10 at the inner side of the case to form a part of the electric switch which controls the lighting circuit. A movable-switchmember -11 is pivoted at -12- to a switch lever -13- which, in turn, is pivoted at -14. to an upright partition .-c within and forming l a part of the case -C-, said switch lever -l3 being extended vertically above and below the spindle 1 and is provided with a vertically elongated opening 15 through which the spindle 1 extends thus permitting the free forward and rearward rocking motion of the switch lever relatively to said spindle. s

As previously stated the minute spindle -s is driven by the usual cloek train but is utilized for driving asupplemental gear train vconsisting in this instance of a pinion -.-16- which is secured to the spindle s and meshes with a relatively larger gear '17, a pinion 18 and relatively large gear 19.:

The gear l7 and. pinion 18- are mounted co-axially upon a relatively short .shaft 20-'-which is journaled in suitable bearings in the partition c and dial plate d-. s 4, The gear -19 is loosely mounted upon the spindle 1' between the partition -0- and dial plate and is provided on its front face with an integral cam -21 concentric thcrewith but/of relatively smaller diameter, said gear being also provided with a forwardly extending lug -22 beyond the periphery of the cam -21- for a purpose presently described.

A ratchet gear 23 is provided with a central forwardly projecting hub 24 journaled in asuitable bearing in the dial plate -cZ co-axial with the gear -19spindle -1 and, therefore, the setting of and between said gear and dial plate and is provided with a substantially semicircular slot 25 for receiving the lug 22, the rear face ot' the ratchet wheel being provided with a semicircular rib 26- extending circumfercntially from the ends of the slot 25. A pointer tis secured to the front end or the hub -2tto rotate with the ratchet wheel around the dial 5 which is shown as provided with a series of graduations reading clockwise and numbered in sequence from three to twelve inclusive representing corresponding hours, the

' twelve number being arranged directly over the axis of the spindle 1-, said graduations being continued from the numeral twelve in sequence from one to six represent.- ing hours of the morning or after-the midnight hour twelve.

lhe hand orpointer l is set to represent the beginning of the closing of the electric circuit while the other pointe1\ l'- is set to represent the time of breaking the circuit. The hub of the pointer t--.is provided with, a forwardly projecting lug 27 adapted to enter a peripheral slot 28- in the hub of the pointer -l' as shown. in Figure 1 for interlocking those two parts together when the spindle -1 1s drawn rear ardly and thereby causing the two hands to rotate in unison in a manner hereinafter more fully described. An arm -29 is secured to the spindle -1- be tween the cam 21 and ratchet wheel n3 to ride upon the adjacent cam face of said cam. A bow spring 30 is interposed between the partition --c and gear -l9 tor pressing said gear forwardly and thereby holding the cam 21- against the arm 29.

The lug -2T and its pointer l are diametrically opposite each other and in like manner the notch or recess -28 and its pointer t are diametrically opposite so that when the pointers are alined with each other, the lug 27- and slot -28 will be similarly alined at which time the spindle 1 may be drawn rearwardly to cause the lug 27 to enter the slot 2S-- for lock-' ing the two pointers together so that by turning the spindle -l counterclockwise by mcansof its hand piece 2-, the pointer tt may be set to the hour, in this instance eleven, of the dial 5 as the time at which the switch member l1- is to be opened after which the spindle may be re leased to allow its spring--6 to force it "forwardly for disengaging the pointer atfrom the pointer l and permitting the spindle to be again turned to the hour, in this instance, live, at which it is desired to close the switch member 11.

The pointer 4- and arm -29- extend radially in the same direction from the A detent 3lon the back of the dial,

d is yieldingly held against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 23- by means of a spring to prevent said ratchet wheel from being turned clockwise while permitting it to be turned counterclockwise as previously stated.

'lhc supplemental gear train of the circuit controlling attachment is arranged so to cause the gear -19 to make one complete revolution every twenty-four hours or one half revolution in twelve hours, said gear together with its cam 21- and lug being rotated continuously in the direction indicated by arrow -w, Figures 3 and The cam '2'l-- is formed upon the end face of an'annular flange on the gear 19- to ride against the arm 29 when the latter is set to the desired hour for closing the switch, said cam :t'ace consisting of a semicircular raiscd or high part and a semicircular low part, the end of the high part in the direction of rotation being gradually beveled oil to the low part at -21-while the other end of the high part terminates abruptly at -21* to the low part and corresponds to the position of the hour hand h 0" "'h clock and, therefore, makes one-halt i,, lution with each complete revolution of the hour hand 7L.

Now, it the pointer l of the supplemental dial 5 is set to any particular hour as, for example, at live, sometime bcitore the hour hand 7iof the clock registers with the same hour on the main dial, the arm -29- will be set a'distance ahead ot the point, 21 corresponding to the interval between the time of setting and the hour at which the pointer is set so that as the gear wheel 1D and its cam 21 rotates through that interval the abrupt point 2l 01" the cam will have just passed on forwardly and axially to the ad-- jacent low part of the cam with the arm The spring 30 is secured at its upper end to the partition 0- some distance above the spindle -1- while its lower end extends some distance below the spindle and is curved rearwardly through an opening in the partition -c to engage the lower end of the switch lever lfl-which is spring pressed against. the lower end of the spring -30.

It is, therefore, evident that when the high part of the cam drops oil from the arm 29 at the point 22 and the gear and cam are forced forwardly by the spring -80- the lower end ot the spring will be lltl lliJ

sprung forwardly thereby releasing the lever 1 and permitting its contact member -1l to be pressed against the terminals 1 O to close the circuit 9.

As previously stated, the slot in the ratchet wheel ----23- is substantially semicircular and its diametrically opposite ends lie in substantially the same radial direction as the pointer so that when the said pointer 1s registered with any particular hour as, for example, eleven, on the supof the gear andcam by the spring in the manner previously described.

This arrangement permits the lug 22' to travel in the slot 25 through a maximum period of twelve hours but owing to the fact that the pointer -4 has been set some time, in this instance, one hour and one-half ahead of the'point. 21 the lug 22 mustmove through a corresponding interval lengthwise of the slot 25 before the arm 29 drops ofi' from the abrupt point- -2l on to the low part of the cam 21- to close the switch at which time the lug 22 would enter the slot .-25 substantially midway between its. ends or, in this instance six hours ahead of the time of clos-- ing as indicated by the pointer i or eleven oclock.

At that hour the lug -22 will have reached the upper end of the slot 25 and will then ride upon the rib -2G- thereby forcing the gear-wheel 19 rearwardly and causing a corresponding movement of the free end of the spring v-*30-- and adjacent end of the switch lever 13 to disengage the switchmember 11 from the term nals -1.0 for breaking the circuit.

It will be observed that the pointers -4 and. 4-- have been set to keep the circuit closed for a period of six hours or between the hours fiveoclock p. m. and eleven oclock p. m. duringwhich time substantially onehalf of the low part of the cam --2l-- will be registered with the arm -29- and at the end or" that six hoursthe lug 22- will reach the upper end of. the slot -25-- and ride upon the rib '26 to cause the opening of the s itch and inasmuch as'the rib is semicircular and the gear -19 rotates onehalt revolution in twelve hours it is evident that the rib cooperating with the lug -22 will hold the switch open during the next twelve hours at which time the high part of the cam --21- will ha'vebeen again brought into registration with. the arm 29* to hold the gear -19 against forward. movementaml consequently holding the switch open until the abrupt shoulder -2l is again registered the arm 29 as previously explained following which the operation described will be repeated and this repetition will occur during every twelve hours.

It is evident however thatthe pointers -4- and --4- may .be set to other hours other than those indicated with similar resultsof closing and opening the lighting circuit.

\Vhat I claim is:

'1.- In a clock controlled electric switch, a 'dial having hour graduations, pointer-s movable independently of each other around the dial to register with different gradua-r tions, one of said pointers being movable axially and provided with means for engaging and rotating the other point-er when moved axially in one direction for setting said other pointer to register w th one hour f graduation, said axially movable. pointer being freed from interlocking engagement with the other pointer when moved axially in the opposite direction to enablevit to be set to another hour graduation of the dial; a bearing member movable rotarily with'the axially movable pointer, an axially movable clock rotated cam having a high part 'and a low part successively registerable with the bearing member and spring-pressed axially into engagement therewith, a self-closing switch member, and means actuated by the axial movement of the cam in one direction "for opening the switch member when the high part of the cam is registered with the bearing member and for permitting the closing of the switch member when the low part of the cam is registered with the hearing member.

2. Ina clock controlled electric switch a dial having hour graduations, pointers movable independently of each other around the dial to register with different graduations,

one of saidpointers being movable axially and provided with means forengaging and rotating the other pointer when moved axially in one-'direetion for setting said other pointer to register with one hour graduations, said axial movable pointer being freed from interlocking engagement with the other pointer when moved axially in the opposite direction to enable it to be set to another hour graduation of the dial, a bearing member movable rotarily with the axially movable pointer, an axially movable clock rotated cam having a high part and a low part successively registerablc with the bearing member and spring-pressed axially into engagement therewith, aself-closing switch member, means actuated by the axial movement of the cam inone direction for opening the switch member when the high part of the cam is registered with the bearing member and for permitting the closing of the switch member when the low part of thecai'n is registered with the bearing memher; and additional clock-controlled means iso -tor moving'the cam member axially against the action of the spring to open the switch while the portion of the lOW part of the cam is registered with the bearing member.

3. In a ('lOtli controlled electric switch, a dial having hour gradliations, pointers adjustable at will to register with different graduations on the dial, when one of said pointers being movable axially and provided with means for interlocking engagement with the other pointer for setting the second named pointer to any one of the gradnations when moved axially in one direction and for disengaging said second pointer when moved axially in an opposite direction for permitting tl e first named pointer to be registered with another graduation, a bearing member rotatable with the second named pointer, a clock rotated g ar having separate earns for moms? engaging said bearing membe s TOSPCC'tlVQlT Q one of the cams being provided with a high part and a low part, a spring for pressing the gear axially to cause the came to engage their IQSPQClllVO bearing 'members, means actuated by the axial movement of the gear when the high part of one ot'the rams is engaged with its bearing member for opening the switch, said means being released when the low part of said cam is registered withits bearing member to permitthe switch to close, the other cam engaging its cam member only when the low part of the first named cam member is registered with its bearing member for opening the switch.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of December 1924-.

JOlxN DANlAlJ 

